Arrogance requires advertising. Confidence speaks for itself.

This is one way to develop confidence, by starting in a safe environment, with a safety net and a mentor. Well done, kid, well done.

What does that mean?
This one, while hard to source, is worth some thought. Think of arrogance, and then think of confidence. Which one needs help, and which stands alone?

While most people fall somewhere between those extremes, we have all known a few of those people, at either end. And what a difference it makes, which end they are on.

Would you have know the arrogant people thought they were good at something if they hadn’t told you that they were? But the confident ones, they simply do what they do, and you notice, or you don’t, but usually you do.

I believe that is what this quote is about. Not bragging, but simply doing. You know what you can do, so do it with the confidence. No need to brag, the people will notice. And if they don’t, so what.

Why is confidence important?
Confidence is defined at thefreedictionary.com as “Trust or faith in a person or thing.” In this case, it’s usually confidence in yourself and your ability to accomplish something. It doesn’t matter whether it is because you have done it before, or you have done something similar, you know you can.

It’s kind of like the little engine that could. You think you can, you try, and eventually, you get it done. Confidence is, in it’s own way, the opposite of worry or fear. You may not get it the first time, but you know you will not give up until you get it done, and done right.

Thomas Edison had no idea how to make a light bulb. He hired lots of people and was confident that he would find a way. He also had confidence in his team, and their ability to eventually zero in on a viable solution. And, amazingly, he was right. They simply kept after it, and got it done.

Sometimes, that is all the difference between someone who has confidence and someone who does not. Did they get it done, or did they give up? Think about how different it feels, just saying those words. They did it, or they gave up before they did it. Which sounds like confidence?

Where can I apply this in my life?
The short answer is to use this anywhere you lack confidence. Now I want to focus on confidence, but I’ll touch on arrogance for a moment. Most arrogant people can do things. But they are not content to simply do. They must also announce, or advertise.

I don’t understand the need or desire to do so, but we’ve all met people like that. For some reason, they feel a need to be noticed, and not just some of the time, but regularly, even constantly. Some even turn it into a business model. Yes, I’m looking at you, Donald Trump.

For the rest of us, let’s focused on getting a little more confidence. It is a rare person who has absolutely no confidence whatsoever. We all have confidence in some things. Perhaps we can start the list with the simplest of tasks. Grab some paper and play along, if you would, please.

Do you have confidence that you can eat food without bleeding, chipping a tooth or dropping it on the floor? Great! Write it down. What about walking, are cracks an ant can’t see going to trip you? If not, add that to the list of things about which you have some confidence.

Now I started with some very fundamental things, just to get your mind in the correct frame. For those who can’t walk, I’m sure there are other basic things you can put on your list instead. Now the idea is to find some more significant things about which you have confidence in yourself and your ability.

Take a few moments and write a couple of things down. With those on paper, consider how confident you would be in that area of your life if you have given up before you got it figured out. Confidence can be that simple. All you have to do is keep at it until you can do it.

There may be other aspects to confidence, but that is what it means to me. If you have other things you feel are necessary to be confident, feel free to list them in the comments section. Yes, confidence will take a little work, and a lot of consistency. But look at the rewards. I think it’s worth it.

Confidence. If you don’t have it, fake it until you do. Who can tell the difference besides, of course, you?